First CFL Grow Using 30 Watt CFLs

[donpaul.p]

no worries mate, the best thing to do is tie any leaves out the way and open the plant up, do this and then place it back under the lights and check of any of the plant is in the shade, if it is then pull some of the branches around a bit to make sure its getting full light, id say remove the leaves but i dont want to say this until i know for sure its worth doing, taking several leaves will stunt growth for a few days but it will bounce back, the one plant im trying this with i thought i messed up, ut 2 days later it started growing like crazy and has got more leaves than it had before,

so mate id say the best option is to took any leaves out the way you can, only remove any leaves that are actually blocking bud sites or possible bud sites such as the node growth, then id use something soft like pipe cleaners or thick string and carefully pull any branches out the way to get as much light in as possible, on this one plant i have made sure every single bud site and growth is getting full light, after doing this i noticed that the main cola at the top was only getting full light at the very top, anything below this top was pretty much in the shade, so all i did here was use a match box and wedge this under one edge of the pot, this puts the stem at an angle and this enabled me to get full light on all the bud at the top of the plant, after 2 days their is a huge difference.

so dont pull to many leaves, this is best done if you have trained the plant during veg, plus their is 2 times during flower when you are meant to take leaves, the first time it is best to do is around day 21 of flower, or after the plant has stopped its stretch, removing leaves before the stretch has stopped will stunt growth and affect yield, then the next time to take leaves is somewhere around day 45 if i remember right, but dont quote me on this, ive got a link ill post about how to do this technique,

so for now mate, id only pull leaves that are totally blocking bud sites or stopping light getting in, now on this test plant i removed the fan leaves as this is also a technique, but dont try this as the plant needs training in veg for this to work properly, but i never trained my plant and its responding well, so dont try it till i know for sure if it worth doing, id hate to lose you some yield or stunt growth, im only trying it as ive got enough plants to risk messing one up, but so far its paying off.

dont use anything that would cut into the branches such as cotton or thin string, i use 30cm pipe cleaners as i can bend them any direction i like plus they are fluffy and wont harm the plant, i then go around the top of the pot and poke holes about 2 inches apart all the way around the pot, then i poke the pipe cleaner through a hole and hook it over a branch, then i pull it back through the hole in the pot until the branch is where i want it to be, then i twist the pipe cleaner to stop it pulling back through the hole, now every 3 or 4 days its best to untie these ties and let the plant stretch for an hour or 2, this will stop any strain on these branches,

so it wont harm the plant if you tie branches and open the plant up to get light in, just be careful not to snap the branches as they will snap if your not careful, i have opened all my plants up with pipe cleaners but only removed leaves from the one, i do remove the odd leaf from all the plants but only if its stopping buds growing or is blocking light, so id go with that mate, pull any branches to get the best light in, i tried lowering my branches to run level the reason i did this is due to an lst i did on my last grow,

i did lst on a plant in my last grow, and what i did was get the main stem and i pulled it lower than the nodes below it, what this did was force the plant to focus its growth on the buds that are now the highest on the plant, so the top bud was lower than the node below is, and i noticed that it slowed growth at this main bud as it was now lower than the buds at the node below, and these buds that are now higher up on the plant turned into the main bud and the plant focussed its growth their,
so with this plant i tried something, as we all know the branches from from the stem and grow upwards and outwards so they are reaching for the light, now the bud at the end of all these branches is the main bud for that branch as its clearly the biggest, so i decided to see what would happen if i pulled the branch down at the end so the bud at the end of the branch is lower than the buds further along the branch, i did this and noticed that the plant then switched the main growth to these other buds, so it acted like a scrog, so instead of giving me 1 big bud at the end of the branch and a few smaller ones lower down the branch it is not giving me 5 or 6 buds that are the same size, i can clearly see this is going to give me more yield than it would if i just left it as it was.

so i did this tall all the branches on this plant, i started with the top branches and used pipe cleaners at the end up each branch, i then pulled these branches down so that they was running in a strait line from the stem outwards, i did this to all the branches and now the plant is growing like crazy, all the little pop corn buds lower down the plant are no longer small pop corn buds, they have started growing upwards and getting fatter, this is similar to a scrog idea, but i think next time i start this method in veg and this should then give me lots of big buds, but from what i have found out so far it seems to be working well, so instead of having a big bud on each branch and then lots of smaller buds along the rest of the branch instead im getting decent sized buds forming.

plus normally any small branches lower down the plant are normally removed as these get no light and removing these focuses all the growth on the rest of the plant, but using the method im using i have not needed to remove these, due to the light reaching the whole of the plant this has made everything grow pretty even,

so all i can say is so far so good, but please dont risk doing it with any plants that you cant risk losing, i should of started this in veg but never and i only been doing it a week or so, but i pretty impressed with the results, plus i removed leaves and this also gave good results, like i said i though i messed it up as the plant stopped growing for 2 or 3 days after taking so many leaves, but then i went out and when i came back i was shocked to see how much the plant had bulked up. but for now mate all i would suggest is tying branches and leaves so that the full light is getting to all the plant, plus put something under the edge of the pot to raise it slightly so this tilts the stem and this stops the top bud creating a shaddow below it, just make sure to rotate the pot every couple of days so the bud is getting light all the way around t

 

[Xlr8]

Hey buddy - Congrats on the job!!! I know how tough that is (I'm currently refraining from toking myself) so be proud, brother. I'm really happy for you.

 

[donpaul.p]

thanks X, it was hard but i knew i had to get this job, im struggling without a job so its something i had to do,
its all good now though mate, just waiting for the start date, i even get some new qualifications while im working, they pay me a normal wage but while your working their training you up towards GNVQ's so after 2 years ill get a qualification, which will enable me to progress within the company, such as team leader position or train to do another job within the company, my mechanical background helped me out loads, their was 25 of us who done the assesments on the same day as me, but only 3 of us was called back for the drug test and basic maths and english test, but i passed so i can relax a bit now.

are you just having a break from bud or have you got the same problem to deal with.

@spring, here is a link to Bassmans journal, have a good read it goes into lots of detail about the leaf removal method, we have been talking via msgs so he could explain in more detail about this method, but if you read his journal you will clearly see why i wanted to give it a try with a test plant, so have a read and you will pick up loads of info you can use

 

[donpaul.p]

might help if i posted the link to the journal,
here it is mate, should give you plenty of info
Bassman Strips The Kosher Kush! Hi-Defoliation - DWC-RDWC - 1K Watts Of Madness!

 

[UrbanGrower]

I wish I could go 2 weeks lol, what do you do when you crave blazing?? congrats on everything tho bro thats sweet

 

[spring2012]

might help if i posted the link to the journal,
here it is mate, should give you plenty of info
Bassman Strips The Kosher Kush! Hi-Defoliation - DWC-RDWC - 1K Watts Of Madness!

DP,
I just scanned through some of the info from Bassman! I saved the thread and will go back and continue to read more tonight. I got through about 25% of the read and damn near ran to pull all of my fan leaves!!

 

[kimmy]

Congrats DP !

I too am a defoliator. At first I keep the bottom third of them stripped and when day 21 comes around I am ruthless. The first time I did it I felt bad because they looked so naked and I even left a few up high. Nowadays I get them all and they don't seem to mind.

 

[spring2012]

Damn,
I just stripped my Trans Siberian bare. She looks real naked! Im gonna let the other three girls go just to be safe. All the flowers are now totally exposed. Damn near filled up a home depot bag.

 

[donpaul.p]

i agree its best to try it on one plant first, luckily the plant ive tried it on is grown from clone and i have 2 of them and their both about the same size, so i stripped the leaves on the one and left them on the other, i only tried this as i can risk losing a plant if thats what happens, but it is best to start the strip in veg to ready the plant, but id read through that journal and make sure its something you want to try before actually doing it, it might not work with certain strains, i had doubts after all i read but so far it seems to be working, all the branches i stripped and pulled level have started growing like crazy, the buds normally further down the branch with no stem now has a stem and the buds are growing up towards the top of the plant, so all i can do is see where it goes from here.

last night i sampled the auto blueberry buds, and i was breaking the bud up and i heard something hard hit the tub i use to skin up in, i looked and noticed a small black round dot, i picked it up and it was a seed, i went through the rest of the bud and found one more, now this plant had not been anywhere near any pollen and not ever in the same room as a male, plus their was only 2 seeds in a 1/4 of bud, plus the seeds where right in the middle of the bud, so im not sure how they got their, possibly i let the auto go to long and it went hermie, but their was no signs of this when i harvested the plant, if it was pollen the seeds would be on the edge of the bud and not in the middle, plus the other plants would of got pollen on them as well and they was all seed free, so now i got these 2 seeds and they are possibly an auto blueberry, i wont be planting them just yet as ive got to many plants at the moment, so ill be saving these for future grows, but all been well their auto which means i can give the dwc ago with an auto and see if it changes the yield

 

[GigaGrew]

the defoliation is working great on the plant i done it on, i made sure the light is getting to all parts and i pulled the branches down as well to make the buds along the branches all even like a scrog, i did this as i noticed the buds at the highest point on the branch are getting bigger a lot quicker so i used pipe cleaners and pulled the branches down so they was running level, this put all the buds on all the branches at the same height, within 24 hours i noticed these smaller buds started putting on more weight a lot quicker, even the stems the buds on started growing, so getting the buds all level muse get the plant to switch where it sends the nutes and growth, this is why a scrog works so well,

so now on this test plant i have got all the side branches growing level, all the buds along all the branches are at the same height, so the bud at the end of each branch is not the highest bud, as all the buds are the same height i think this has forced the plant into making these buds the main buds, so they are all getting fatter now, ill see how this plant goes before i do it with any others, but so far so good, the main cola at the top i took the leaves off to get the light to the whole length of the bud, i also tilted the pot slightly to get light to the whole bud, this method is also working well and the whole bud is getting a lot bigger,

supercropping,scrog,lst all work towards the same goal, the manipulation of the growth auxins to the desired locations.

there are inherant bottlenecks, the plant knows the difference between secondary and primary growth even when its tricked into growing them with more vigour. i like to think there is a certain amount of 'resistance to flow' which would explain why a secondary from node 1 doesnt steal all the auxins if there is a primary at node 2 or higher. its very hard for me to find the words to to explain it as i see it, ive tried applying 'upside down waterfall' and 'lightning trying to find earth' analogies, but they dont quite fit perfectly =/

ive been thinking of a new method that i feel is an upgrade to supercropping. supercropping (hope im talking about the right thing, lol( i have smoke now...yay) you crush the stem to force the auxins to sites below the crush while it repairs...i feel this is both beneficial and harmfull at the same time (benefit Vs shock theory)..I propose instead, to inject fluid at the site you would have supercropped. im not sure what this fluid is atm, im thinking RO water that is ph balanced to the sap.

the reason i think this would work is because all the hormones are 'pulled' to the respiration sites. with the upper site now having a glut of liquid to respire, the hormones that are lower down have more time to reach the lower respiration sited before being pulled to the top. i believe this would cause little to no stress to the plant and therefor give a slight performance boost to supercropping.

who knows it may even lead to a whole new science of fluid injections to boost the plants growth in fully customisable means.

im pretty sure a few micro injections of seaweed into the stems of lower bud sites could set them into overdrive.

 

[GigaGrew]

my auto's are at that stage between growing pistils and making buds, so i have fully defoliated it (its my biggest one) i will watch how it effects development compared to its nearest sized relative.

 

[donpaul.p]

very interesting idea, the problem i see is that some of the stems are hollow in the middle, the last plant i harvested was hollow down the main stem and some of the bigger side branches where hollow as well, so it would need injecting carefully, its a great idea though, im sure as we learn more and more tests are done then im sure we will find a load of new ways to improve indoor plants, its just going to take time thats all

 

[spring2012]

Dp,
Good find on the seeds. I have found a few back in my youth the same way. Went through an entire ounce and found two seeds. So far my defoil plant seems OK. The lower buds are already growing longer stems. I'm going to add nutes tomorrow. Gonna jump to half strength. The 1/4 strength did not seem to hurt at all. I had a few answers on PH. Do I need to add pH up before or after nutes to my water?

 

[GigaGrew]

the future of MJ??

 

[donpaul.p]

upside down growing, hmmm interesting,

if you plant was ok with 1/4 then up it mate, you might find you will be ok at half strength, if it does stress the plant then you will see the edge of the leaves been burned so back off when you see that, but i have had very little problems so you should be ok,

im going to plant one of these seeds i found and see how it turns out, ill grow it under 24-0 so i can then find out if its an auto or not, it was a very nice bit of bud as well, but i got less than a 1/4 from the whole plant, more like 6g ish dry, so ill grow these and see how they turn out, i might grow it under a dwc set up and see what happens

 

[Xlr8]

thanks X, it was hard but i knew i had to get this job, im struggling without a job so its something i had to do,
its all good now though mate, just waiting for the start date, i even get some new qualifications while im working, they pay me a normal wage but while your working their training you up towards GNVQ's so after 2 years ill get a qualification, which will enable me to progress within the company, such as team leader position or train to do another job within the company, my mechanical background helped me out loads, their was 25 of us who done the assesments on the same day as me, but only 3 of us was called back for the drug test and basic maths and english test, but i passed so i can relax a bit now.

are you just having a break from bud or have you got the same problem to deal with.

@spring, here is a link to Bassmans journal, have a good read it goes into lots of detail about the leaf removal method, we have been talking via msgs so he could explain in more detail about this method, but if you read his journal you will clearly see why i wanted to give it a try with a test plant, so have a read and you will pick up loads of info you can use

Finances are tough, but health is tougher. Still, I need to try to find a way to work to make ends meet. So, easier to do if I don't have to worry about that part of it. Just taking a break. SO hard though!! Really glad things worked out well for you.

 

[donpaul.p]

thanks mate, im sure you will be back up and running in no time, i wish you all the best mate, i struggled for ages with no work but i just landed a job and had to go 2 weeks without any bud to pass the drug test, so now i passed the test i just got to wait for the start date then ill be earning money again and can buy me some new toys for the grow room,

its not easy but i got their in the end, im sure you will do the same mate,

 

[Xlr8]

thanks mate, im sure you will be back up and running in no time, i wish you all the best mate, i struggled for ages with no work but i just landed a job and had to go 2 weeks without any bud to pass the drug test, so now i passed the test i just got to wait for the start date then ill be earning money again and can buy me some new toys for the grow room,

its not easy but i got their in the end, im sure you will do the same mate,

Donpaul. Sincerely appreciate the vote of confidence!

 

[donpaul.p]

no worries mate, your a top bloke and im sure with all the good karma of many of your followers on here im sure it wont be long before your back on track,

 

[JamesTheGreen]

At least you Know Don, That the Plant will Probably develop to any size you so wish it, as long as you Have The Containers(VERY LARGE), Plenty of Good Light(I KNOW YOU HAVE THIS), and the "WILL" to get them as large as is correct for Where and when You Grow Them!!! So good Luck On It Don, and I have a question as well, why will you only receive One Fourth of Your seeds As Auto, Is this Because they Are crossed with a non Auto??? I am guessing this to be so!!! Common sense and all that Mularkey!!! Hey GH How goes it my Man??? just saying a Proper hello To You GH, it is always Good talking With You!!! And hello Gig and Spring, good to see you all here. Take care all, SINCERELY, JAMESTHEGREEN.